Regulator.



E. J, DEEGAN.

REGULATOR.

APPLICATION men APR. 5. 1918.

Patented. Dec. 1?, 1918.

fi iz'yzess es: mffaw m: "MRI: 0. momuma. wAsuma 30 1 of the regulator, since the limit of strength ishtbr' adjacent to the central annular line OFFICE,

5 rmies J.

DEEGAN, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

REGULATOR.

J '0 all whom it may concern:

1113c. it known that I, EDWARD J. DEEGAN, a rcitizen' o'f-the United States, and a reside'ntrof the borough of Bronx, county of Bronx, 'city'and State of New York, have invented .c'ertain new and useful Improvementsnn Regulators, of'which the following is aspecification;

-iMy" invention relates to diaphragmatic pressure regulators in which the diaphragm supports the transmitting plunger which actuates the valve or damper operating inechanismyasinLetters Patent No. 1,064t,713,issued to me June 17,1913, and 'inLetters Patent No;1,108,146, issued tome August Iniorder to render the diaphragm sensitive andTreadily' responsive to pressure it is made ofrelativ'ely thin elastic resilient materiahpreferably ofcopper, and this renders itisomewhatfragile,- so much so that the contactual edge of the transmitting plunger resting thereon'has a tendency to wear and break or crack the diaphragm 'under'exceptional strain or uneven alinement, and es-' pe'cia'llyundueback pressure unduly exerted by improper manipulation of the regulator lever, rendering the regulator inoperative for practical purposes. Furthermore this fact materially limits the pressure capacity of contact of the edge of the transmitting plunger with the diaphragm which area has toasu'stain the maximum of wear'and strain. In other words the strength and pressure capacity of the diaphragm has heretofore been that of this restricted area ofcontactual engagementwiththe transmitting plunger.

"Itis the object of'my present invention to obviatethisdifiiculty, and'to lengthen the life of the diaphragm while augmenting its pressure capacity, utility and efficiency, and th'is I'accomplish by interposing between the diaphragm" andt'he transmitting plunger an elastic resihentauxiliary plate or compensating shield of peculiar construction which receives and distributes thecontactual strain of thctransmitting plunger over practically the whole diaphragm so as to render such strain innocuous, while at the same time in-' creasing the pressure capacity'of the diaphragm and regulator, all as hereinafter morefully set forth and claimed specifically. '5- In the accompanying drawings, y

3 Figure F1, is "ta central vertical sectional Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1'7, 1918.

Application filed April 5, 1918. Serial No. 226,856.

elevation of a regulator provided with my diaphragmatic auxiliary or protector;

Fig. 2, is a like view showing a slight modification in the arrangement of parts;

i Fig. 3, is a top view of my relief plate or shield;

Fig. 4, is a like view illustrating a modification of the same.

While applicable to other forms of pressure regulators I have herein shown my invention as used in conjunction with a pressure regulator of the type set forth in Letters Patent heretofore granted to me as before stated, in which the diaphragm d preferably corrugated, is held peripherally by and between the edges of a concavo-conoidal base 5, and a cover plate 0, the space below the diaphragm being the pressure chamber and that above the diaphragm being subject to atmospheric pressure through the central opening'fc, in the cover "0, through which the stem of the transmitting plunger 39, protrudes,' said plunger p,being formed with a'r'elatively broad, circular base which has heretofore rested directly upon the upper side of the'diaphragm d. 1

5 Ihave found by experience that the part of the dia 'ihragm subject to greatest strain and wear is that at oradjacent to its con t ct with the edge of the base of the transmitting plunger im the function of which latter is to transmit the motion and pressure of the diaphragm d, to the actuating member (Z,'by which the'regulating damper or valve is controlled in a manner well known in the art. "One serious danger in so far as the diaphragm is concerned has been that of undue back "pre'ssure resulting from careless manipulation of the valve or damper actuating'mechanism, particularly the member a.

If "improper weight or pressure is applied theunder side of the diaphragm resisting such undue back pressure, and tending to engender "a sheari ng strain at'the basic edge of the plunger 19. v

my present inventionI protect the diaphragm against such'deleterious localized strain; and distribute the latter evenly over the diaphragm by means "of the elastic re: silie'nt relief plate or shieldsypreferably metallic, which I superpose upon the diaand 2. This shield plate 3, is preferably of substantially the same size as the operative, flexible area of the diaphragm (Z, upon which it may rest loosely, as in Fig. 1, or the shield may be of suiiicient diameter to be clamped peripherially between the edge of the diaphragm and the cover 0, as indicated in Fig. '2. In either case it is made to conform to the general contour of the upper face of the diaphragm cl, when the latter is at rest or deflated, so as tocontact therewith for practically. the full area thereof, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Hence, as the base of the plunger 72, rests directly upon this shield s, the weight or said plunger, and any back pressure exerted thereby, will be distributed by the shield and imparted to the diaphragm over substantially the whole area of the lat ter, obviating excess of strain at any particir lar part thereof. Furthermore the relief or reinforcing shield s, by contacting directly with the base of the plunger 37, prevents any abrasive action of the latter against the diaphragm, which may consist of a delicate sheet of relatively thin copper, whereas the shield may be made of sheet steel or other relatively hard and tenacious material.

In order to render my diaphragm shield a, sufficiently sensitive and responsive to the flexible fluctuations of the diaphragm (Z, I prefer to form it witha central opening 3, of less diameter and area than the base of the plunger p, and also to'ctorm it with a plurality of slits divergent from this cen tral opening. These slits 8 8 may be an ranged radially as shown in Fig; 3, or tangentially as shown in Fig. 4:, or in fact in any desired'manner .or direction provided they aflord a series of inwardlyconvergent tongues 3 extending from the peripheral margin 8 to the center, or to the central opening a, before mentioned. This diaphragm shield 8, is preferably formed by means of stamping dies which not only cut the centrally convergent slits 8 and form the central opening 8', but also impart to the shield disk 8, a dish shaped or conoidal formessentially the same as that of the concavo-conoidal depression of the dia phragm (Z, when deflated and at rest.

- By the use of my reinforcing shield s, I not only protect the diaphragm against excessive and localized strain and wear in so far as the transmitter plunger 1), is concerned,but I also greatly increaseithe effective capacity-of the relatively thin and otherwise frail diaphragm, so that, thus re- 0 inforced, it is enabled to withstand an operative pressure, and variations or fluctuations thereof, many times greater than the capacity of; the same diaphragm not thus reinforced or protected. As a result I attain greater scope of usefulness and eiiiciency for the regulator without increase of size of parts or thickness of diaphragm, and this at a minimum of additional cost because my combined only with suflicient resiliency to enable it to conform to and follow contactually the fiexures of the diaphragm.

As a matter of fact I have- -demonstrated by practical test and investigation that by the use of my reinforcing shield I can augment the pressure capacity of the diaphragm four fold with practically no loss of sensitiveness and responsiveness to relatively low degreesof pressure.

The number of centrally convergent'slits s formed in the reinforcing disk, may be varied to suit requirements, and they are clear cut so that theiradjoining edges contact closely, and hence the bearing against the diaphragm is continuous and uniform 5 throughout, thereby preventing injury to the opposed face of the diaphragm and insuring cquable distribution of pressure; 1

Vihat I claimas my invention and to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. In a regulator of the character desigf natedgthe combination with the diaphragm of an elastic resilient reinforcingshield independent of and interposed between it and the? plunger by which the motion of the diaphragm is transmitted by the actuating mechanism, said diaphragm and shield be iug unconfined throughout their area except at the periphery, for the purpose described.

2. In a regulator of the character designated, the combination with the diaphragm of an elastic resilient reinforcing shield,independent of and interposed between'it and the plunger by which the motion ofthe diaphragm is transmitted to the actuating mechanism, said reinforcing shield being formed with a plurality of slits extending from a peripheral margin inward converdesire gently toward the center, said diaphragm V and shield being unconfined throughout their area except at the periphery, for the purpose described. y i 3. In a regulator'ot the character dSig+ hated, the combination withthe diaphragm of an elastic resilient reinforcing shield at peripheral margin to said central opening, for the purpose described.

4. In a regulator of the character desig nated, a diaphragm, and an elastic resilient reinforcing shield independent of, unattached to, and superimposed upon the diaphragm to receive the impact of the plunger of the device.

5. In a regulator of the character designated, a diaphragm, and an elastic resilient reinforcing shield independent of, unatof slits extending from a peripheral margin 15 toward the center with the inner ends of the portions between the slits free and unattached. EDWARD J. DEEGAN.

Witnesses Gno. WM. Mun, DOROTHY Mm'rr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

